Hibernia
(also called
Ierné, Iverna, and
Iuverna;
Ἰέρνη, Ἰερνὶς νῆσος, Ἰουερνία; Keltic,
Eri). The ancient name of Ireland, which is said to have been derived from the
name of the early inhabitants of its southern coast, the Iuverni (
Ἰούερνοι). It is mentioned in the pseudo-Orphic poem on the Argonautic
expedition
(line 1164), and by Aristotle (
De Mundo, 3), who
describes it as lying in the ocean beyond the Pillars of Hercules. Strabo says that it is too
cold to be more than barely habitable; whereas Mela speaks of its herbage as so rich as to
cause the cattle to eat until they burst with it. Solinus mentions the fact that there are no
snakes in the island, and pictures the inhabitants as so warlike that on the birth of a male
child the mother places the first bit of food in its mouth on the point of a sword. Ptolemy
gives the names of the rivers and promontories, and describes the outline of the coast with
surprising accuracy. He also names the principal tribes of the island—the Vennicnii
in Ulster, the Nagnatae in Connaught, the Uterni in Munster, and the Brigantes and others in
Leinster. On the coast were two towns—Menapia and Eblana (Dublin). The Romans made
no attempt to conquer the island, though they gained some knowledge of it from the British
traders who visited its coast.
